Completed Event: Football at Temple on September 13, 2025 , Win , 42, to, 3
Final
Football
42
at Temple
3
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Spring Game Quotes
April 09, 2016 | Football
Head Coach Bob Stoops
Opening Statement…
“I was pleased today. Not really concerned, I figured we won no matter what it looked like, and really most pleased everybody stayed healthy and no injuries. (We) got a lot of good team work, meaning substitution patterns, got Big 12 officials, just game management. I thought it was really positive for all of that. (It is) a little bit tough to gauge what statistics might be in the first group not going full go to the ground. It's hard to say when a back might have made someone miss him and broke a tackle, or a receiver makes someone miss him or what, but I'm more concerned with keeping guys on the field right now than I was being particular about how much yards somebody got or didn't get. I also wanted to see guys excited, correct, and doing things the right way, executing those kinds of things, and I thought overall it was really positive in all parts of the game.
“I thought we addressed a lot of issues that we needed to for this year where we lost people. To start the O-line, Jonathan Alvarez at center is a really great move. He's a natural center, that's what he was in high school, that's what he was recruited for. Having started every game last year at guard, he's ready to play in there at center. Ben Powers, Cody Ford, a bunch of guys that really have come on in the guard spot to help us, so that's great. Receivers, I believe there's just overall more guys that will contribute next year. I believe that position's twice, just overall, what it was a year ago at this time, and that's even without Sterling (Shepard) just because there's more players ready to play at this competitive level than there were a year ago. Rodney (Anderson) continues to (improve), along with Daniel (Brooks) and Alex (Ross). Some of the other backs have been more consistent this spring to go with Samaje (Perine) and Joe (Mixon). Austin Kendall and Kyler (Murray), but Kyler not playing next year, Austin has got a ton of snaps through the spring, has really been mature and handling them. He's been more than we could have expected, he really has.
“Defensively, all those corners opposite J.T. (Jordan Thomas) have really made improvement, and significant improvement. I feel they're ready to play, and Tay Evans in there has gotten better along with Curtis Bolton and (Ogbonnia Okoronkwo) outside. All of them have made improvement. D.J. Ward, (Marquise) Overton inside, have made good improvement to play in there with some of the other guys and Austin Roberts as well. Neville Gallimore, also. Bigger, stronger guys getting better and better. Anyway, I feel like we have addressed some of the areas where we lost people that I feel like we've made some good, strong improvements.”
On today's pass rush and pass protection…
“You know, I thought overall it was pretty decent without much blitzing at all. I thought we got to the quarterback a pretty good bit ... On the offensive side, they had their opportunities where they had time and completed some balls. For me, it's always a little give and take. Each side of the ball or the other is winning or losing, so I can't ever be satisfied, but I thought both sides did a pretty good job.”
On Austin Kendall's performance…
“It just shows what we thought. He's just got a lot of poise, a lot of maturity to him, a lot of confidence to him. He's got an excellent arm. It was tough throwing out there, let's be fair. If you were down on the field, it was gusting 20-30 (miles per hour) back and forth, so each way throwing the ball with the wind, it carries too far into it and knocks it down. It's just hard to gauge. But overall, I thought he did really well like he did most of the spring, taking care of the football really well, too.”
On Kyler Murray's performance…
“Kyler, he can make plays. He's exciting. He's explosive like that. When he takes off, he can make a lot of things happen. He's got a really live arm, too. He's got the ability, though, to hurt you both ways.”
On the wide receiver corps…
“A.D. (Miller)'s had a great spring. He's shown up every week. He's been solid. Dahu (Green) has been, all those guys. Jeffery Mead's improved, (Michiah) Quick. Like I said, I think that group overall is just a lot stronger at this time than it was a year ago. And even though Sterling (Shepard), you're missing that big play guy, Dede (Westbrook), I think, has a chance to have more of an impact, and I think the overall group will have more guys in the rotation that will be productive, having another full year of understanding what we want them to do and another year of maturity.”
On how prepared they are for the season compared to last year…
“I don't think there's any comparison. We're further along offensively than a year ago at this time. We were brand new in the system. That was the case even for the first half of the season. Coach (Lincoln) Riley and our other coaches being able to be even more familiar with our guys in game situations and how we're going to handle things. I don't think there's any comparison offensively. We'll be much stronger starting the year and coming into the year than we were a year ago.
“Defensively, I feel we're in the same system. Guys continue to improve in it and have fewer and fewer mistakes. I feel like we're progressing. Special teams, I think Austin, though it was hard to gauge today in the windy conditions, all spring, he's been much more solid than he was, of course, a year ago, he had just got here. He's a guy who I think, again, will be stronger this year.”
Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops
Opening statement...
“No one got hurt I don't think, right? That's the main purpose of today and just getting our players some live reps. Even though it's our base defense or our base offense, there's still a lot that those guys are benefiting from. I thought some kids played better. We had a couple of breakdowns and coverages going the wrong way... I thought we did some good things. We'll still have to continue to get better rushing the quarterback. Our offense is good. Keeping that constant pressure has got to come a different way now that we've lost Eric Striker.”
On what they're doing moving forward...
“We've got to start building the defense, just start gaining some depth. I thought our young secondary guys played better. I thought P.J. Mbanasor competed better, covered better. That's a good sign. He's starting to move his feet better, so we're happy about that. We've got a lot of work to do between now and Houston but for me it's still all about toughness, our attitude. That will determine how far this defense can take us.”
On development of PJ Mbanasor and Dakota Austin...
“I thought P.J. [Mbanasor] played better today. That's promising, but there's a reason Dakota [Austin] is starting and the other guy didn't. Our guys will always be competing. I think P.J. is making some progress, like I said, and we need that.”
On the younger players...
“The secondary, the twos, still feel a little bit shaky up there calling. That was one of the busts we had, it was a rotation bust. We were both rolling the same way and just blew our coverage when the twos were in there. These guys are getting better. There's such a learning curve to where I don't really think you see your abilities until you're fully in your second year when players are able to play freely and not always thinking. We've got a lot of thinking going on right now.”
Offensive Coordinator Lincoln Riley
On the offense…
"You know, we didn't turn it over. I don't think of that off the top of my head. We made some really nice throws. There were a couple of easy things I thought we could have taken more of early in the series. We got behind the chains a little bit more. Had some sacks. Which, again you're going to have those in the spring game. Most years, we've had more sacks in the spring game than we gave up in the entire next season combined. Some of our guys could have gotten out of some situations but we could have done a better job. We held the ball a little bit too long sometimes. They all made good plays. They all made big plays. But they were all pretty settled in. I didn't think we were trying to make too much happen."
On protecting Baker Mayfield…
"You know, you can't rely on just your playmaking ability all the time, especially when you play against good people or athletic defensive lines that are more athletic than you… That's something we're continuing to work on. If he can become even more dangerous from the pocket, that will put the defense in a tough position."
On Kyler Murray…
"He's prepared for this. He's known this was coming for a while and he's got a great example there in Baker, yes, you can't do it on the field but there's still so much more you can do to prepare yourself for that competition when you are eligible after this year. And like I said, Baker is a good example, whether it's learning the offense, getting better physically, working on mechanics."
"I think just simply, because he didn't come in with a recruiting class, getting that rapport with the guys and starting to establish himself as a leader on this team. I wasn't here two years ago but there was certainly a sense of walking on people in the program and Baker's done a good job of that even when he wasn't playing. I think that was probably important for what he did for our team last year so I'm proud of that."
On Austin Kendall…
"He just gets better and better. He's pretty smart about the chances to take. It was good to see the look in his eye today, knowing the level of people – again this kid that should be getting ready to go to prom is playing in front of a great crowd today and he handled it great. He had a great look in his eye from the beginning and really, he has the whole time, but you never really know how they're going to react that first time and so today was just a great step for him."
"He's been very, very steady all spring. He missed a few things today ... but he's a little better than I thought physically. He's shown the ability to get out of things a little bit more. We felt like coming in, he was a really good thrower and he's shown nothing but that. We've been really happy with how just mentally he's progressed. He's really bought in."
On the offensive line…
"I think we're getting better…I think we're going to be a deeper group. I think we're going to have more guys who can play and I think we're going to have more competition on that line than we did last year. I think we're going to be more talented this year than we were last year."
"There's still a lot to be seen. At this time last year, we had no idea that Orlando Brown was going to start at tackle and we didn't have any idea that (Jonathan) Alvarez was going to be a starter at guard. Bruce Neal wasn't even here yet."
"There's still a lot, especially when you've got a strength trainer like we do, there's still a lot that's going to happen throughout the summer as we go into camp. We're certainly further ahead and I'm really happy that deep O-line – that second O-line – is further ahead because there's going to be some really good competition coming down."
Senior Quarterback Baker Mayfield
On the spring game…
“It was a good day. The big thing for us is just getting some of the young guys some experience. Overall I thought we moved the ball well and made some plays. I was pleased with our performance.”
On the progress he's made from last year's spring game to now …
“I've made big strides. I think the most important thing has just been getting more comfortable within our offense. As a team we really found our identity in the latter parts of last season. So with that, coming into this year we know what we want to do.”
On where he needs to improve…
“Just taking care of the ball. That's the most important thing and if I do that we're going to win come this fall.”
On his impression of freshman quarterback Austin Kendall…
“I think he was nervous at first, but he did a good job of gaining command of the offense as quickly as he did. Once he settled in, he really got going. For his first game performing in front of a crowd like that, I think he handled it well.”
Sophomore Quarterback Kyler Murray
On the difficulty of sitting out a season...
"I knew what was at stake coming here. The guys and the coaches will help me. I know, for myself, sitting out, getting bigger and learning from Lincoln (Riley) and Baker (Mayfield) will help. I know it'll hurt to sit but being around the guys and the team, I'll be fine."
On Lincoln Riley's offense..
"There's no comparison. I'm here getting better and just trying to learn the offense from Coach (Riley) and get better every day. It really depends who you are; me and Baker have similar styles. Coach Riley's offense is very quarterback-friendly and we definitely have the weapons. If we trust the system and trust the process then we will be successful."
On his decision to choose OU...
"It (the decision) came down to the trust I had with Coach Riley and Coach Stoops. Obviously, you also look at the guys around you and we have all the pieces to have a great squad."
On playing in front of the crowd...
"The crowd was great. It was my last actual game eligible to play so it was good to run around and have fun out there."
Freshman Quarterback Austin Kendall
On his experience in Norman so far...
"It's been really fun. Baker (Mayfield) and Coach (Lincoln) Riley have helped me out a lot; our quarterback room is really great. We help each other out each every day, along with the coaches."
On being a leader...
"Baker is the biggest leader on the team, so I strive to be like him. Just trying to imitate him, but I have to find a role where I can be a leader, too."
On knowing he is the backup...
"Once I got here and in the system, I felt comfortable. Now, with practices, scrimmages and the spring game, I feel comfortable. If my name gets called I'm confident I can get the job done. Coach Riley says always prepare to be in there every down and I'm going to be next to him (on the sideline) every single play and be ready if anything happens."
On how he sees himself as a quarterback...
"I see myself as a pocket passer. When the pocket breaks down, I feel like I can get out and I've showed the guys on the team I can do that. I'm not the fastest guy but I feel like I can get a first down."
Sophomore Receiver Mark Andrews
On the game...
"As a whole, it was a good experience for everyone. A lot of young guys got reps, so from that standpoint it was a good time. Guys got in there and got the chance to learn the offense. As a group, offense and defense, I thought we did well, executed well and didn't make too many mistakes."
On his presence...
"I don't think I'll be taking on the hidden weapon type role like I did last year. I'll definitely be more involved more frequently in this year's offense. Anytime I can get on the field and show what I can do is what I want. That's what I came here for and I'm ready to get the season started and make some plays."
Sophomore linebacker Dalton Rodriguez
On spring practice ...
“Spring, overall, it was good. There was a lot of learning to do because having come from playing defensive line in the fall, and now playing outside linebacker in the spring I had to bulk up from 220 to 250 (pounds) so it has been a challenge but I am just taking it day by day.”
On his journey the past couple years…
“At some points it's been tough but I just have to keep my head on straight and keep working. As of right now I am not where I need to be to play that position, but I am confident that I will be this fall.”
On his performance today…
“Today was a big relief and it's great to know that all my hard work is beginning to pay off after the long road that I have faced.”
Junior Guard Jonathan Alvarez
On what the spring has been like for the offensive line…
“It hasn't been that hard. We have really good chemistry as an offensive line because we all hang out 24-7, all of the time. We're always talking to each other, always in the film room. On the field we're always talking to each other about what we see, what's going on. It wasn't that bad. It was just getting used to having somebody different playing next to you in a position you may not be used to.”
On the key this offseason for the offensive line…
“We just have to build mentally. We have to get it set. We can't be out there trying to think about what we have to do next. As soon as we hear it we have to know what we are doing and go. We have to get into the film and get better mentally, individually.”
On how it has been working at center…
“It's been pretty good. Wherever I'm needed I can play all three interior positions. They are all just the same to me. I'm just adding a snap to it now.”
Junior Safety Steven Parker
On how the defensive backs have developed under coach Kerry Cooks…
“As defensive backs I feel like we are all comfortable out there. It's about building depth, going out there every single day with a chip on our shoulder. Basically being blue collar. Getting everything right. Having the right guys being in the right fits, making sure that we are going hard to the ball. I feel like in the second year things been going a lot more smoothly than they did in the first year. It was great last year, but we want to be even greater this year.”
On what the defense can take away from today…
“From today, we can really just take away our responsibilities, mental checks, making sure that we're all on the same page, because that is what defense it about. If we're all on the same page we can do anything, we can compete. Really the biggest thing is just trying to get everybody on the same page, everybody doing their responsibilities for their position and just playing together.”
Sophomore Defensive Tackle Marquise Overton
On how he felt the spring has gone…
“I think that I've improved a lot from last year. I'm just trying to improve day by day and get better as a player. This spring has been crucial for me. Last year I had a lot of improvement to come about, and right now I feel like I'm on my way to improving.”
On how he feels like he's improved…
“Right now I'm understanding more of the defense. I'm playing much faster than I did last year. I'm handling the double team much better, and just playing a lot better than I did last year.”
On what it's been like working with coach (Calvin) Thibodeaux…
“He's a great coach. It's been terrific this whole spring and just trying to move from there.”
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